2 comments:

Kenny
said...

hey,

I did my first wedding last saturday - it went well, but for the groups shots nobody seemed to be listening to me (LOL) or the Best man. Do you have any tips for dealing with group shots David? I had about 110 people on this one, and it was about to rain, and people just wanted to get to the reception.

Also I took the couple aside for pictures turned around and about 20 people had followed us with their cameras. How do you manage these kind of folk?

One of the key skills of being a wedding photographer is managing people. You need to learn to be very assertive and this is not something that comes naturally to everyone. Without practise, people tend to be either submissive or aggressive and neither of these are appropriate responses when you're a wedding photographer.

The first thing to do is get the bridal party on your side. When you first meet the couple explain some of the problems that can occur when shooting groups. I generally ask them to stick to a maximum of 10 groups, to send me the list in advance, and to recruit the best man/ushers (or whoever they think is up to the job) to corral the guests and bring them forward for each shot. I explain to them that they want me concentrating on taking photos, not chasing around after people. On the day all the key people are therefore prepared to help - they must take ownership of the process too.

I generally make an announcement to everyone that I'm about to start the group shots. I ask for people's patience and explain that if people don't wander off the process will be a lot faster.

If the weather is poor then it's time to make an executive decision. Often I'll suggest we improvise at the reception venue and do the group shots inside.

I normally announce that guests are free to move on to the reception before I start the bride and groom portrait session. I often let a couple of guests tag along (to act as assistants!) but no more. Just tell them that it's a private session. If they ignore you (I've yet to encounter this) then get the couple to tell them!

It will get easier with practise. Just remember though, that unless you tell people what you need, you can't expect them to know.